Part of Stories of the Prophets (series completed)
· Lesson 5 of 20
Stories of the Prophets | Episode (20) | The story of Moses, peace be upon him (1)
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Transcript
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Stories of the Prophets,
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Stories of the Prophets,
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peace be upon them.
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May Allah's blessings,
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followed by
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peace,
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be upon the best of all creation,
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entirely.
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Possessors of steadfast resolve,
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their station
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is exalted.
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The story of Moses,
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peace be upon him.
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
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and may peace and blessings
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be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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and upon his family and all his Companions,
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entirely.
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To proceed:
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Egypt,
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that beautiful land,
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the land of the Nile and the refreshing
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breeze,
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was ruled over time by
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numerous Pharaohs
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who contributed to building its renaissance
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and civilization.
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Yet Egypt was also ruled by
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tyrannical Pharaohs
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who ran rampant therein,
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causing corruption and ruin,
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acting haughtily and transgressing all bounds,
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and humiliating the people throughout the land.
1:13
Among these was
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a Pharaoh named
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Ramesses II.
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When Ramesses assumed
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the reins of power in Egypt,
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he was the most insolent of the earth's kings,
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having the oldest throne,
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the most established dominion,
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the most deep-rooted city,
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and was the most ruthless in enslaving people
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and showing arrogance in the land.
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He claimed lordship,
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declaring:
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"I am your highest lord!"
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He also claimed divinity,
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saying to the people:
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"I have not known for you
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any god other than me."
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And the people complied with him,
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willingly and unwillingly.
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The Children of Israel were living
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in the land of Egypt,
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from the descendants of Jacob, peace be upon him,
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and his sons who had come
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from Palestine
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and settled in Egypt.
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They lived there side by side
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with the Coptic Egyptians,
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who were
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the native inhabitants of the land.
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The Copts used to acknowledge
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the merit of the Children of Israel
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and their high standing,
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until the new Pharaoh arose,
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Ramesses II,
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of infamous memory.
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He exalted himself in the land and grew arrogant,
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dividing the people of Egypt
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into factions and sects,
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oppressing whomever he willed
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among them, and honoring
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whomever he willed.
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He unleashed his wrath and fury upon
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the Children of Israel,
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reducing them to servants for the Copts
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in Egypt.
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One evening,
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Pharaoh saw a disturbing vision.
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When morning came,
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he summoned the men of his state,
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the priests and the sorcerers,
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and recounted the vision to them.
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They said to him:
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"A male child
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shall be born among the Children of Israel,
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at whose hands the demise of your kingdom
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shall take place."
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Then they recalled that the Children of Israel
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were foretelling the birth of a prophet
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among them soon,
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who would deliver them from the oppression that
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had befallen them.
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So Pharaoh asked:
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"What then do you advise?"
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They consulted among themselves
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and arrived at a tyrannical decree
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stipulating the killing of
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every newborn boy
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from the Children of Israel without mercy.
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Pharaoh issued
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his orders to the soldiers,
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and they went out carrying knives,
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patrolling among the Children of Israel,
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so that they found no
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newborn boy
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except that they slaughtered him,
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out of fear that Pharaoh's vision
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might come true through him.
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Midwives accompanied them
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to inspect
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the women of the Children of Israel;
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whoever among them was
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pregnant, they kept track of
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her location until,
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when her time of delivery arrived,
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they would come to her:
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if she gave birth to
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a girl, they let her live,
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but if the newborn was
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a boy, they slaughtered him
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before his mother's eyes.
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They did this for many years.
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The Copts noticed
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that the elders among the Children of Israel
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were dying natural deaths,
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while the young boys were being slaughtered.
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So they said to Pharaoh:
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"The Children of Israel are close
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to extinction!
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Who will attend to serving us
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and managing our affairs,
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which they used to handle for us?"
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They suggested to
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Pharaoh that he kill for one year
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every newborn boy,
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and spare them for another year,
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killing no one from among them.
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Pharaoh was persuaded
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by their opinion,
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so they began killing the newborns
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of the Children of Israel in one year,
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and sparing them in the next.
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During these years of ordeal,
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Moses was born,
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as well as his brother Aaron,
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peace be upon them both.
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As for Aaron,
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he was born in the year in which male infants
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were not slaughtered.
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But as for Moses, peace be upon him,
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his affair was wondrous.
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When she became pregnant,
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the mother of Moses feared for him
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lest he be
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a boy, because it was the year
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in which Pharaoh was killing
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every newborn boy.
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However, Allah Almighty
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concealed her pregnancy,
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so the midwives did not perceive
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that she was pregnant.
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When she gave birth to her child
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and it was a boy,
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an overwhelming fear seized her.
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So Allah Almighty inspired her
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to care for him
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and nurse him;
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then, if she sensed danger
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and the arrival of the wicked inspection squads,
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Allah inspired her to place
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her baby in a chest
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and cast the chest into the river.
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So the mother of Moses took
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her precautions,
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prepared the chest,
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and placed it in the River Nile,
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attaching a rope to its edge
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which she tied to the shore.
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Whenever the search parties arrived,
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she would put Moses
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into the chest,
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let it drift in the water,
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and secure the rope on the shore.
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Once they departed,
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she would pull the rope
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and retrieve her infant from the chest.
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On one occasion,
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the search party came
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suddenly;
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in her haste, the mother of Moses
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placed him in the chest
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and forgot to tie the rope,
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so the chest drifted far away.
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When the affectionate mother returned,
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She could find neither her son
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nor the chest.
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Overwhelmed by grief,
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her patience gave way,
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and she was on the verge of crying out
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at the top of her voice:
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"Where has my son gone?
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My son!"
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But Allah fortified her heart,
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so she concealed the matter,
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remembering that
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Allah had inspired her
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with the promise of her son's return
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to her.
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As for the chest,
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it made its way down the river
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to write a tremendous miracle
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by the decree of the All-Knowing,
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the All-Wise.
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It did not stop until reaching the threshold
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of the palace of Pharaoh—
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the foremost enemy of the Children
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of Israel,
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who had ordered the slaughter of all male infants
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in that year.
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Yet Allah humbled him, decreeing
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that he would be raised inside his own palace,
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right before his eyes,
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and that his ultimate destruction would be at the hands of
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Moses,
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this very infant,
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years later.
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The servants noticed a chest
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in the river near Pharaoh's palace,
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so they brought it
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inside the palace
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and opened it before Pharaoh
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and his wife.
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To their amazement, there was a beautiful
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baby boy inside the chest.
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Pharaoh lost his temper:
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"Whence came this child,
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and how did he reach this place?"
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He immediately ordered that he be killed
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on the spot.
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But Pharaoh's wife,
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the moment she saw the infant,
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felt an overwhelming
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love for him.
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She said to her husband:
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"Look at this little boy!
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How handsome and sweet he is!
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He will be a source of joy for me
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and for you.
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Do not kill him.
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Love for this boy has entered
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deep into my heart,
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and we have no children.
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Perhaps we may adopt him
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as a son, or perhaps
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he will be of benefit to us when he grows up."
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The tyrant Pharaoh replied:
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"As a source of joy
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for you, yes,
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but as for me,
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no."
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And it was just as he said:
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Allah protected the child,
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and through him, He saved her
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from entering the Fire;
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she believed in him
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and became one of the noble women
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of Paradise.
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And as the line of poetry goes:
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"If divine care gazes upon you
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with its protective eyes, sleep in peace,
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for all that you feared
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will turn into safety."
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The little infant began to cry,
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and the women of the palace tried
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to nurse him,
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but he would not accept the breast of any woman among them.
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They brought women from everywhere,
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but the infant refused
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to nurse from any of them.
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They began searching for anyone
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who could nurse this child,
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offering rewards for it,
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and the people began
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talking about the matter.
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Meanwhile, the mother of Moses
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was enduring
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moments that were hotter
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upon her heart than burning embers.
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She said to her daughter:
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"Go, my daughter,
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and track your brother's fate
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and the chest,
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so that you might bring back news."
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So she went out—
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the sister of Moses—seeking
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news and listening carefully
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to the conversations of the people nearby.
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She heard people talking
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about a nursing infant
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in the palace of Pharaoh
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who was found in a chest in the river.
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She knew at once that it was
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her brother,
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but she did not let on.
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She learned from the people
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that those in the palace
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were looking for a wet nurse
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for this child.
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She went to the palace and said:
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"Shall I direct you to
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a good-hearted nursing woman
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who will nurse him and take custody of him
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for you? She is an experienced
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and skilled caretaker, and she will be
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sincerely devoted to him."
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Pharaoh's wife accepted
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this offer from the girl
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and ordered her to bring her
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right away without delay.
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The mother of Moses came
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to the palace of Pharaoh,
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and her eyes were comforted
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at the sight of her son.
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She drew him close to her breast,
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and he immediately took her breast,
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to the astonishment of everyone present.
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Moses nursed until
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he was full, and then fell asleep.
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Then Pharaoh's wife
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offered that she stay in the palace
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to nurse the child.
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But the mother of Moses declined this offer,
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making the excuse that
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she could not abandon her home,
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her other children,
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and her husband.
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Instead, she offered
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to take the child to her home
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to nurse him and care for him,
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and bring him each week
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to the palace.
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Pharaoh's wife agreed
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and assigned her
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a regular wage for doing so.
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The mother of Moses took her son,
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overflowing with joy,
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and went back to her home.
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Thus she nursed him
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without any fear,
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receiving payment for it besides.
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Indeed, Allah is predominant
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over His affair,
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but most of the people
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do not know.
12:14
Allah Almighty said:
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"And We inspired
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the mother of Moses,
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'Suckle him;
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but when you fear for him,
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cast him into the river
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and fear not,
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nor grieve.
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Indeed, We will return him
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to you
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and make him one of the messengers.'
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And the family of Pharaoh picked him up
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that he might become for them
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an enemy and a grief.
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Indeed, Pharaoh
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and Haman
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and their soldiers
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were deliberate sinners.
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And the wife of Pharaoh
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said, 'He will be a comfort of the eye
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for me and for you.
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Do not kill him;
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perhaps he may benefit us,
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or we may adopt him
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as a son.' And they
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perceived not.
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And the heart
13:11
of the mother of Moses
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became empty;
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she was about
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to disclose his identity,
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had We not bound fast
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her heart that she would be
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of the believers.
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And she said to his sister,
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'Follow him.'
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So she watched him
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from a distance
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and they did not perceive it.
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And We had forbidden
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for him all wet nurses
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beforehand,
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so she said, "Shall I direct you
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to a household
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so she said, "Shall I direct you
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to a household
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who will rear him
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for you
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who will rear him for you
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and look after him sincerely?"
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Thus We restored him
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to his mother,
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so that her eyes might be comforted
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and she would not grieve,
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and so that she would know
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that the promise of Allah
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is true;
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but most of them
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do not know.
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The child grew up—
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the one rescued from the Nile
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by Pharaoh's household—
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and spent his childhood moving back and forth
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between the Coptic palace
14:26
and the home of his mother from
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the Children of Israel.
14:30
When the time came to name him,
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no one
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could take precedence over Pharaoh's wife
14:36
in naming this child.
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Pharaoh did not care for him,
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and before everyone, his mother
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was merely his wet nurse
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who had no right to name him.
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None remained except Asiyah,
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Pharaoh's wife, who had the greatest right
14:51
to name him.
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So she named him Musa,
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which means "drawn from the water"
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in the ancient
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Egyptian language.
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Musa (peace be upon him)
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showed signs of
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strength and vigor
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from his early youth.
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He was tall, brown-skinned,
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with curly hair,
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muscularly built,
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possessing a powerful personality
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and high social standing.
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He was treated among the people
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as though he were Pharaoh's own son.
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Musa received
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an abundant share
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of tenderness, affection, and mercy
15:30
from his mother
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and from Asiyah, the wife of Pharaoh.
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His mother was the one who
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had cast him with her own hands into the river,
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and her heart had almost
15:40
torn apart from its place after
15:42
losing him;
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yet here he was, returned to her!
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So she lavished him with affection
15:48
and tenderness far more
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than anyone else.
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As for Asiyah bint Muzahim,
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Pharaoh's wife,
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she could not bear children,
15:58
so she regarded this child
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as her own son.
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She cared for him, nurtured him,
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and showered him with immense
16:06
affection.
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All of this
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had a profound impact on Musa
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(peace be upon him) later in his life,
16:14
instilling in him mercy and compassion
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for his people.
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In Pharaoh's palace,
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Musa received
16:22
complete and proper care.
16:24
While the children of
16:26
the Children of Israel were deprived
16:28
of education,
16:30
Musa was receiving the finest
16:32
and most elite education
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as the adopted son of Pharaoh,
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under the direct guardianship of
16:38
Pharaoh's wife.
16:40
Furthermore, he received
16:42
the very best
16:44
rigorous physical training,
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as was the custom of the Pharaohs
16:48
in raising their children.
16:51
In his mother's home,
16:53
Musa learned
16:55
humility, noble character,
16:57
and a faith-based upbringing.
16:59
He witnessed the oppression inflicted
17:01
upon the Children of Israel,
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which made him despise the oppressors,
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and he saw the sacrifices
17:07
made by these
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destitute people
17:11
through their patience.
17:13
Thus, he was truly
17:15
nurtured in a unique manner,
17:17
just as Allah Almighty said
17:19
regarding him:
17:21
"And that you might be reared under My watchful eye."
17:23
Musa remained in this
17:25
state, knowing nothing
17:27
about his true mother
17:29
whatsoever.
17:31
When he reached the age of maturity
17:33
to know the full truth,
17:35
an age where he could
17:37
shoulder responsibility and keep secrets,
17:39
the wet nurse informed him
17:41
that she was his true mother,
17:43
that he was her son,
17:45
and that he
17:47
was an Israelite, one of their very own.
17:49
She told him the entire
17:51
story:
17:53
that she had only done so
17:55
to protect him
17:57
from Pharaoh's slaughterers,
17:59
and that Allah had promised her
18:01
to return him to her,
18:03
which He indeed fulfilled,
18:05
so here he was now before her.
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She entrusted him with
18:09
this secret
18:11
to protect their lives
18:13
from Pharaoh's tyranny
18:15
should he discover the truth of their matter.
18:17
She asked him
18:20
to return to the palace
18:22
and continue visiting her
18:24
as if nothing had changed,
18:26
so that no one
18:28
would suspect anything between them.
18:30
Allah Almighty said:
18:32
"When We inspired
18:34
“When we inspired in thy mother that which is inspired,” (20:38)
18:36
'Cast him into the chest,
18:38
then cast him into the river,
18:40
and let the river
18:42
throw him
18:44
onto the shore,
18:46
where he will be taken by
18:48
an enemy to Me
18:50
and an enemy to him.'
18:52
And I bestowed upon you
18:54
love from Me,
18:56
and that you might be reared
18:59
under My watchful eye.
19:01
When your sister went
19:03
and said, 'Shall I
19:05
direct you to someone who
19:07
will take care of him?'
19:09
Thus We restored you to your mother,
19:11
so that her eyes might be comforted
19:13
and she would not grieve.
19:15
And you killed a man,
19:17
but We saved you from distress
19:19
and tested you
19:21
with trials.
19:23
Then you stayed for years
19:25
among the people of Madyan,
19:27
then you came here according to
19:29
destiny, O
19:31
Musa!
19:33
And I have chosen you for Myself."
19:35
To be continued,
19:39
if Allah wills.
19:41
And Allah knows best.
19:43
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
19:45
And may the peace and blessings of Allah be
19:47
upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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and upon all his family and companions
19:51
together.
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You were listening to Stories of
19:56
the Prophets.
20:05
May Allah send peace
20:09
and blessings.